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[Simply Sarah]

I always forget that abilities create Commander identities. Honestly, I feel like it's a cop-out.

The rules wouldn't be coherent if they didn't. They'd make themselves illegal or, if you wanted to exempt them from the normal identity rules somehow, they'd end up with abilities you could never actually use.

 

[Shuggananas]

They have to make garbage mythics so that the better ones are actually even rarer and people open more packs, namsayin

 

[OnPoint]

The rules wouldn't be coherent if they didn't. They'd make themselves illegal or, if you wanted to exempt them from the normal identity rules somehow, they'd end up with abilities you could never actually use.

Would it be so bad if they just weren't playable as Commanders? Would work fine as an include in a 5 Color ally deck. It's just so meh. I'd hate to open this in draft. Hell, opening this at all is 'feel bad' all around.

 

[Crocodile]

Exciting new mechanic (Colorless mana matters), an Ally mechanic that doesn't fuck you over if you draw all the Stonework Pumas first, exciting individual cards at Mythic, no sign of Converge- the only 5c stuff we're seeing IS the allies so far. The Eldrazi "feel" like Eldrazi, even as smaller critters, because the colorless matters stuff allows them to give them a mechanical identity outside of RoE's big monsters w/ big swingy effects on attack and cast..

This design clearly should have been the fall set, with the Processor stuff in the follow up.

I'll agree with you on those points except the new Ally mechanic. A mechanic devoted to cards that have to stop being summoning sick and require more cards in play to do anything seems like the anti-thesis of value and epitome of "Magical Christmas Land". I'd also say going from real colorless matters to processor stuff would mean the block would end on a down note. Most agree Khans > Dragons was a downgrade, going Oath > Battle would probably be an even bigger downgrade

I don't get the hate for Tazri. He seems like the perfect mythic: he does flashy things, he enables cool decks, and he clearly won't be a competitive staple.

She, BTW

 

[Santiako]

Seems alright. They are really keeping that UR land a secret until the end.

 

[Ashodin]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh shit nerds

I just heard

The fucking

News

Fucking five color ally commander Brehs?!?!?!?!

Fuck yes

I love my ally modern deck

Now we legit


Praise wizards

Praise

 

[Crocodile]

Would it be so bad if they just weren't playable as Commanders? Would work fine as an include in a 5 Color ally deck. It's just so meh. I'd hate to open this in draft. Hell, opening this at all is 'feel bad' all around.

What would there be to gain from doing this? Commander is supposed to be a format about fun and getting to play with cards you like that have no home elsewhere. What do you get telling Timmy/Tammy they can't play with their favorite, non-degenerate legend just because it has an activation cost that has different colors than the creature's casting cost?

 

[Simply Sarah]

Would it be so bad if they just weren't playable as Commanders? Would work fine as an include in a 5 Color ally deck. It's just so meh. I'd hate to open this in draft. Hell, opening this at all is 'feel bad' all around.

It sounds like your issue is less with the way colour identity works and more with the fact that this card was made around this fact. Sure, it will be crappy in basically any form of Limited but it's far from the first or worst mythic in that regard. On the other hand, this is a huge gift for Commander players so why take it away from them?

 

[kirblar]

Even without the color identity stuff the card still makes sense in Allies because they're a 5c tribe.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Seems alright. They are really keeping that UR land a secret until the end.

Man the enemy colored manlands are really significantly less powerful than the originals.

 

[ThLunarian]

That's disappointing. I was hoping the rumor about it being a 3/3 with a BG activation was true

 

[Ashodin]

Another one

Interesting

Lol scry?

Conduit of ruin the turn after you play this is sick

 

[SigmasonicX]

Seems alright. They are really keeping that UR land a secret until the end.

Oh hey, one of the leaks turned out to be fake. It was previously claimed that this land would be BG: CARDNAME becomes a 3/3 black and green Elemental creature with "B: Regenerate this creature" until end of turn. It's still a land.

As for Oath of Jace, there isn't actually any spell that just straight up does "draw three, discard two" (Brainstorm is similar, but that's a bad card to compare to anyway). There are cards like Compulsive Research, and Oath of Jace of course is worse than that.

It's best to assume that a player will usually only have one planeswalker out in Constructed, so it will usually just have the upkeep effect of scry 1. Even if you have more out, I don't believe it will be that big of a benefit. God, I really hope Oath of Chandra doesn't deal X damage to a player on each upkeep.

As for General Tazri, just the fact that she's a creature that tutors for a relevant creature type makes her fine in Limited, and if there is a big Ally deck that isn't aggro, I expect that she'll see play.

Also, Friday Night Magic promo for March is Smash to Smithereens, which was in Magic Origins and thus will still be in Standard come Shadows over Innistrad.

Another one

Interesting

Lol scry?

Conduit of ruin the turn after you play this is sick

That's pretty neat. I was about to suggest turning all of your Scions into Ulamog, but that doesn't work because legendary (though you can get one). So Bane of Bala Ged instead.

 

[Ashodin]

Just realized deceiver itself doesn't need to attack to trigger, shit. Fuck that's an awesome design.

 

[Santiako]

God, I really hope Oath of Chandra doesn't deal X damage to a player on each upkeep.

You know it will. And it will be more expensive (mana wise). Red always gets shafted.

 

["God's Beard!"]

Seems alright. They are really keeping that UR land a secret until the end.

boo, this land sucks compared to the fake one :/

There are always going to be casual mythics.

This is a good thing.

I prefer EDH Mythics and Standard rares. That doesn't seem to be the case here, though. So far Ayli and Blighted Crossroads are the only rares that seem like strong playables.

The mythics like Chandra and Worldbreaker are just great, though.

 

[Ashodin]

Oath of gideon 2W
Legendary enchantment

When ~ etb, put a 2/2 knight ally token.
Upkeep, put a 1/1 ally for each Planeswalker

Would be siiiiiiiick

 

[Camp1nCarl]

Haven't played Magic since 2011 (New Phyrexia) but I just drafted BoZ recently and I wasn't too impressed. I'm looking forward to getting back into it and I hope this set is a bit more fun to use.

 

["God's Beard!"]

Oath of Nissa 1G

At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player chooses target player who controls more creatures than he or she does and is his or her opponent.
The first player may reveal cards from the top of his or her library until he or she reveals a creature card.
If he or she does, that player puts that card onto the battlefield and all other cards revealed this way into his or her graveyard.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Haven't played Magic since 2011 (New Phyrexia) but I just drafted BoZ recently and I wasn't too impressed. I'm looking forward to getting back into it and I hope this set is a bit more fun to use.

Though many will defend the Limited format, Battle for Zendikar generally hasn't been well received by experienced players, especially after how the previous block, Khans of Tarkir, is generally seen as very good. All signs point to BFZ being an exception to the usual standard of quality due to behind-the-scenes issues, though, and with the small set having a greater influence on draft now, it's expected that Oath of the Gatewatch should improve the drafting experience.

EDIT: If we're imagining Oath cards, then I hope Chandra's will be like this:

Oath of Chandra - 2R
Legendary Enchantment
When Oath of Chandra enters the battlefield, it deals 3 damage to target creature or player.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may discard your hand and draw X cards, where X is the number of planeswalkers you control.
OR
At the beginning of your upkeep, exile the top X cards of your library, where X is the number of planeswalkers you control. Until end of turn, you may play cards exiled this way.
"To protect my nakama (TN: Nakama means friends, but so much more than that (because I can't translate well)), I will keep watch."

 

[Angry Grimace]

He's not imagining the Oath cards, he's just wishing the green one will just be Oath of Druids.

Because Turn 3 Kozilek isn't busted at all.

 

[Simply Sarah]

Another one

Interesting

Lol scry?

Conduit of ruin the turn after you play this is sick

I like it. It's an effect that's both fun and potentially powerful in the right situations. At minimum, it gives fake Scry 1 whether you want it to or not.

 

[Adaren]

Though many will defend the Limited format, Battle for Zendikar generally hasn't been well received by experienced players

I'm a very new player (just started with Origins; play a fair amount of Duels; just got my first paper cards for Christmas) and even I was of the opinion that BFZ looked disappointing pre-release (and it's been expectedly disappointing to play in Duels). OGW looks way more creative and exciting!

I'm actually happy to learn that BFZ wasn't well received by most players, just because it means that it's an outlier instead of the norm.

 

[SigmasonicX]

He's not imagining the Oath cards, he's just wishing the green one will just be Oath of Druids.

Because Turn 3 Kozilek isn't busted at all.

Ashodin imagined Oath of Gideon two posts above him.

 

[Ashodin]

OGW feels way more cohesive as a whole. I'm excited for SOI as a result. That's when this two block paradigm really gets its swing.

 

["God's Beard!"]

He's not imagining the Oath cards, he's just wishing the green one will just be Oath of Druids.

Because Turn 3 Kozilek isn't busted at all.

Speaking of busted, that new black Anger of the Gods is really making Dark Petition sideboard packages look really nice.

• Virulent Plague
• Infinite Obliteration
• Ruinous Path
• Skinning Tendrils

All are great sideboard cards that can be cast for BBB.

 

[Jhriad]

Haven't played Magic since 2011 (New Phyrexia) but I just drafted BoZ recently and I wasn't too impressed. I'm looking forward to getting back into it and I hope this set is a bit more fun to use.

Welcome back!

I'm a very new player (just started with Origins; play a fair amount of Duels; just got my first paper cards for Christmas) and even I was of the opinion that BFZ looked disappointing pre-release (and it's been expectedly disappointing to play in Duels). OGW looks way more creative and exciting!

I'm actually happy to learn that BFZ wasn't well received by most players, just because it means that it's an outlier instead of the norm.

Yeah, the shift from a 3 set block cadence to the two set block cadence in the middle of design looks like it really messed with BFZ. Hopefully it's only up from here.

 

[OnPoint]

Deceiver looks awesome.

 

[Simply Sarah]

OGW feels way more cohesive as a whole. I'm excited for SOI as a result. That's when this two block paradigm really gets its swing.

Very much so. Although, to be fair, feeling more cohesive than the often random mess that was BFZ isn't a very high bar to clear.

 

[Angry Grimace]

I bet you the UR land is a 2/2 with a loot-on-damage ability or something. A lot of people were imagining Prowess, but the thing about Prowess is that there are 0 cards with prowess in the entire block so far.

 

[red13th]

Another one

Interesting

Lol scry?

Conduit of ruin the turn after you play this is sick

This is an actually cool Eldrazi

 

[y2dvd]

Deceiver of Form is unfortunate outclassed atm by Dragonlord Atarka in the 7cmc slot. It really needed an etb effect. Neat card otherwise.

 

[Hero]

Deceiver of Form is unfortunate outclassed atm by Dragonlord Atarka in the 7cmc slot. It really needed an etb effect. Neat card otherwise.

Why does it need an ETB? It has beginning of combat trigger, just play this on main phase 1.

 

["God's Beard!"]

Why does it need an ETB? It has beginning of combat trigger, just play this on main phase 1.

so you're saying it's craterhoof

 

[Angry Grimace]

Deck: Modern Junk

//Creatures
2 Voice of Resurgence
2 Scavenging Ooze
3 Siege Rhino
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang

//Planeswalker
3 Liliana of the Veil

//Spells
4 Abrupt Decay
3 Path to Exile
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Lingering Souls
1 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Thoughtseize

//Land
1 Forest
1 Plains
2 Swamp
2 Gavony Township
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Godless Shrine
1 Temple of Malady
4 Marsh Flats
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Shambling Vent
2 Stirring Wildwood
1 Temple Garden
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Windswept Heath

//Sideboard
1 Engineered Explosives
3 Fulminator Mage
2 Kitchen Finks
1 Blood Baron of Vizkopa
2 Stony Silence
1 Celestial Purge
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Languish
2 Painful Truths

Display deck statistics

That's not really a Temple of Malady, it's a Hissing Quagmire, but I don't really know how many of them I really want to play. You might ask why the Blood Baron in the board. The answer is because Blood Baron rules. I mean, I think Sigarda is better, but its not a completely unexplained vampire lord that keeps sexy ladies in cages for no apparent reason.

 

["God's Beard!"]

You might ask why the Blood Baron in the board. The answer is because Blood Baron rules. I mean, I think Sigarda is better, but its not a completely unexplained vampire lord that keeps sexy ladies in cages for no apparent reason.

I was just talking to my buddy yesterday about how I think more people should play Blood Baron in Modern.

 

[OnPoint]

[QUOTE="God's Beard!";190891937]I was just talking to my buddy yesterday about how I think more people should play Blood Baron in Modern.[/QUOTE]

It does dodge the most common removal, doesn't it?

Hm... maybe it SHOULD be played more.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Sigarda is probably better simply because Blood Baron gets blocked by Tarmogoyf. Sigarda is almost invincible unless your opponent is playing boardwipes.

(Also lol @ Languish instead of Damnation because Damnation costs 50 dollars)

 

[y2dvd]

Why does it need an ETB? It has beginning of combat trigger, just play this on main phase 1.

You're not guaranteed to hit anything on trigger. A miss essentially is only a scry at best. So now you're left with an 8/8 vanilla body that may not even make it to the combat phase. Gimme the 8/8 flying trample etb 5 dmg creature instead pls!

 

[Angry Grimace]

It does dodge the most common removal, doesn't it?

Hm... maybe it SHOULD be played more.

It dies to Galvanic Blast and Rending Volley, although I doubt anyone would actually bring in Rending Volley against Abzan since it doesn't kill Siege Rhino.

 

[OnPoint]

Tom Ross is swapping blue for black in Infect according to his latest SCG article. If this deck does well, do you guys think it might lead to a buyout on popular black infect cards like Phyrexian Crusader?

It dies to Galvanic Blast and Rending Volley, although I doubt anyone would actually bring in Rending Volley against Abzan since it doesn't kill Siege Rhino.

I was thinking Path, Bolt, and anything black, mostly.

 

["God's Beard!"]

Sigarda is probably better simply because Blood Baron gets blocked by Tarmogoyf. Sigarda is almost invincible unless your opponent is playing boardwipes.

(Also lol @ Languish instead of Damnation because Damnation costs 50 dollars)

Blood Baron's lifegain is great though

 

[Angry Grimace]

Path and Bolt are the most played spells in the entire format, so obviously that's a big deal. It's also a lot better in a Abzan Mirror because it can't be chumped by Souls tokens, I suppose.

 

[OnPoint]

Oh and to those saying don't bother with Eye of Ugin yesterday because the spike already happened?

I paid $41 (tax+shipping included) yesterday for 4 of them.

Today? Blue price is paper:

Lesson is Kirblar usually knows what he's talking about.

 

[Keru_Shiri]

Oh and to those saying don't bother with Eye of Ugin yesterday because the spike already happened?

I paid $41 (tax+shipping included) yesterday for 4 of them.

Today? Blue price is paper:

Lesson is Kirblar usually knows what he's talking about.

Wow, I remember pricing it yesterday at $13 tcgplayer mid, now it's already up to $33 for the Worldwake printing.

 

[kirblar]

I just bought a third at $12 yesterday. Can't ever really see needing 4, it's just so awful in multiples.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Oh and to those saying don't bother with Eye of Ugin yesterday because the spike already happened?

I paid $41 (tax+shipping included) yesterday for 4 of them.

Today? Blue price is paper:

Lesson is Kirblar usually knows what he's talking about.

It won't stay that high though. I think I have some in my stack of MM2015 bulk fares.

 

[kirblar]

It won't stay that high though. I think I have some in my stack of MM2015 bulk fares.

Probably not, but it's not going back down to sub-15. Spellskite's at 22, Fulminator at 20, and this is closer to Fulminator than Spellskite supply/demand-wise. (The rest of the deck is so cheap that this could get pushed to silly heights though.)

 

[Angry Grimace]

Cards I'm gonna buy today: one more Ulamog, some Sanctum of Ugin, and Temple of the Forgotten whatever.

I don't think ramp is super great but as we move away from triple BFZ I think these cards will cost more than a dollar.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Probably not, but it's not going back down to sub-15. Spellskite's at 22, Fulminator at 20, and this is closer to Fulminator than Spellskite supply/demand-wise. (The rest of the deck is so cheap that this could get pushed to silly heights though.)

Technically the best pack I ever opened had a Noble Hierarch and a foil Spellskite.